BILL STANLEY: Hepburn was the ultimate American icon

Once upon a time, I was able to speak personally to Katharine Hepburn. That is, I was close enough to her and spoke loud enough so that she responded.

Once upon a time, I was able to speak personally to Katharine Hepburn. That is, I was close enough to her and spoke loud enough so that she responded.

Katharine Hepburn is gone now, but the other night I saw her and Spencer Tracy in one of their wonderful movies and thought how lucky we were, years ago, to have such beautiful movies and such great stars. Today, Hollywood produces movies that contain so much profanity and nudity. I am sure they are an influence on the general population, and especially on the youth.

My encounter with Hepburn happened quite by accident, but I will never forget it. As it happened, years ago my daughter, Carol, was a vice president at Lehman Brothers brokerage firm and worked in Boston. She would come home for weekends by train, and Peggy and I would meet her at the station.

One late Friday afternoon, as the train (having dropped the passengers off in New London) pulled out of the station, a convertible passed over the tracks headed for New London City Pier. My daughter said, “That’s Katherine Hepburn,” and, my goodness, it was.

Sitting in the back seat of the convertible was the ultimate American icon, Katharine Hepburn, headed out onto the docks where there were several tall ships moored. I said to my wife, Peggy, “Let’s go over and introduce ourselves,” but Peggy, as she always used to do, said, “Leave her alone. She’s entitled to her privacy.”

I responded, “That’s Katharine Hepburn. We may never see her in person again.”

As it happened, we had two of my wife’s young nephews from Tennessee spending a few days with us. They were perhaps five or six years old, and I used them to convince Peggy. I remember saying, “Someday the boys will say we saw Katharine Hepburn once,” so Peggy said, “All right,” and we headed for the city pier.

If you know New London City Pier, you know the dock has two levels. A smaller pier to which the small boats are tied is down at the water’s level, and it was that route I took with the two little boys holding my hands. My wife and daughter walked on the pier above.

As we approached one of the tall ships, there she was, Katharine Hepburn. There was a grill on deck where they were cooking steaks, and there were several couples on the boat. Hepburn was sitting by the rail. Because of the height of the pier, the deck of the ship was at the same level, and we were only four or five feet from Katharine Hepburn.

Then, one of the little guys, with a very deep southern accent said, “Uncle Bill, is that a pirate ship?” It was, after all, a tall ship, and it did look like the pirate ships we have seen in books and movies. I answered, “Yes, that is a pirate ship.”

The little guy responded with another question. “Is everybody on that boat a pirate?”
Standing as I was, no more than a few feet from Katharine Hepburn, I said, “Yes, they are all pirates.”

To my delight, Katharine Hepburn turned and looked at the three of us and said, in her quivering voice, “Are you calling me a pirate?”

I answered her by saying to the boys, “That is Katharine Hepburn. She’s not a pirate, but one of the loveliest ladies in all the world,” to which she smiled and said, “Thank you.”

It made me so happy to see her up close. Without those two little boys, I am sure the meeting wouldn’t have been so memorable. Today, they are grown, married, have their own children, and they live in Mississippi. There is nothing that will bring a smile to your face faster than a young boy or girl with a southern accent, and that Friday afternoon will live with me forever.

Rummaging through photographs during the weekend, I discovered this wonderful photo of Hepburn in my collection. It is from one of her many movies, and I thought it would be a good centerpiece for this morning’s column.

Katharine Hepburn, for years, lived in Old Saybrook. One winter afternoon, out for a Sunday ride, I guess I broke the law. Driving along the coast, at the mouth of the Connecticut River, we came upon the residence of Katharine Hepburn. It said “No trespassing,” but it was winter, after all, and I was sure she was not there. So, Peggy and I broke the law, drove in, and walked around that beautiful house that once was the summer home of the great Hepburn.

Down the road a bit was another great star of years gone by, Art Carney. I did so want to meet him but never did. He used to play opposite Jackie Gleason, but Carney was more than a comedian. He was a gifted actor and lived in Westbrook.

One of the most cherished gifts I have, literally framed on my office wall, is an autographed picture of Art Carney that was given to me at Christmas by my daughter, Carol. It cost her only the price of postage. She wrote Art Carney and told him how much her father admired his work. He responded with an autographed picture, “To Bill from Art Carney.” He had on his crushed hat and was sitting on the edge of an open sewer manhole because he was, after all, a sanitation worker on Jackie Gleason’s “The Honeymooners” show. The photo turned up one morning as a delightful

Christmas gift.

Somehow it seems the stars of yesteryear were different. In the first place, the likes of John Wayne, Clark Gable, William Holden, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster were all giants of men — tall and muscular. So many of the big stars today are short men. Not that height makes any difference, except in some of the forceful roles John Wayne played, his size dominated the screen. Today, they can take a very short man and, with special effects, he becomes a world beater.

The movies of today don’t seem to salute goodness and heroism. They seem to celebrate too many of the worst qualities of humanity. They often are about drugs or crime, and very often the criminal is celebrated, not punished. I am of the firm belief visual content of movies and television has a profound influence on children and may explain many of the problems we have in society today — with the shootings at schools and so many problems with conduct.

This morning’s column has turned into an editorial, which I never intended as I started.

But, as long as I’m complaining, I really think years ago our movies were better. Our stars had more talent. The movies usually had a positive influence and molded character instead of destroying it.

But, on the other hand, everything was different. We played dodge ball, hide ‘n’ seek, tag and kick the can, and I think we were healthier. Today, children sit in front of a computer and play games. The Internet, like the movies, makes a lasting impression in molding our children’s future and character. I guess, in a sense, there doesn’t seem to be any Katharine Hepburns, Spencer Tracys, or John Waynes on the silver screen anymore.

Perhaps these are the ramblings of an old man who is in love with the past because he has so many wonderful memories of which Katharine Hepburn is only one.